Weekly Training Wrap - 7/2 - 7/8

One last order of business before I put San Juan Solstice 50 behind me: I put together a video.  If you haven't had a chance to see it, check it out here.

After recovering SJS50, I knew I had one push left -- three or four hard weeks in July and then it is taper time. (I am debating whether to go hard all four weeks or include one recovery/cut-back week.) My assessment was that I need to push some big B2B miles and simulate what it feels like to run sore and tired. I dropped my most aggressive set of B2Bs yet, running 52 miles in two days. In total, I ran 78 miles in just over 12 hours or 6.5 miles per hour. And I did it all in 5 runs, averaging almost 16 miles per run. Considering the length of those runs, and the fact that I limited my HR on four of the five, I am incredibly happy with that. I am only two weeks removed from one of the toughest 50 milers in the country and this seemed almost easy. There are no significant pains or injuries. My body is fresh and able to perform when I want it to. I feel like I am peaking at a good time. And, I feel like I have done everything I intended in training, including racing both the Grand Canyon and San Juan 50 conservatively enough to allow me to keep training at a high level.

While running with Jon on Friday, I asked him what more I could do to make a "significant" difference in my training. His answer? Nothing. It is hard to admit that, but I really have done 90% of the work at this point. I've run big miles. I've run long. I've trained at altitude (not as much as I'd like). I've run 50 miles (twice). I've run in the heat. I've practiced climbing (almost 165K vertical for the year). The Leadville Race Guide describes miles 50 - 100 as "no man's land" because almost no one has experienced those miles in training and there is no way to predict how you will handle it. Yikes. I will work in some specificity training and a few more B2Bs to fine tune things. But come race day, I won't have to wonder if I could have trained harder.

Every day is one step closer to my goal....39 days to LT100. Wow, this is going to happen! I remember when it was 10 months away...

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	Rest	Light x-training
Tuesday	21	Mostly Aerobic Miles
Wednesday	31	Mostly Aerobic Miles
Thursday	Rest	Core Work
Friday	9	Most Efficient Pace Miles
Saturday	7	Most Efficient Pace Miles
Sunday	10	More of a marathon type run
Total	78	About 6000 vertical feet